Chapter 179: Volume 1, Chapter 179 – Study Hard, Make Progress Every Day (23)

Allen crossed his arms and said, 'She's just sick.'

Li Wen Nian's face was dark as spilled ink; getting straight to the point, he asked, 'What do you want to do?'

Allen pushed up the glasses on his nose, his short hair neat, his sharp-angled features revealing a natural aura of authority, and said, 'Give up the inheritance rights.'

This didn't surprise Li Wen Nian; Allen had always regarded power as extremely important, and his goal from childhood had been to inherit his father's position and become the new godfather.

Li Wen Nian doubled over laughing on the other side of the screen.

"Big Brother, are you so sure I'd give up my inheritance for a woman?" He raised his long fingers to wipe away the tears from laughing at the corners of his eyes, then leaned toward the screen and said in a deep tone, 'Don't come looking for me to collect her corpse if you kill her.'

"Beep beep beep—"

The video call ended.

Allen remained silent for a long time, then turned his head to look at the quiet girl sitting on the bed.

He said, 'Don't worry, I won't kill you.'

Allen considered killing a weakling beneath him; it would violate his principles.

Jiang Zhi lifted her eyes, the gloom in them dull and lifeless, and said, 'Sir, could you take me home?'

Allen thought for a moment and said, 'Not yet.'

She still thanked him.

After the man left the room, Jiang Zhi opened the data panel.

【Villain Li Wen Nian: Favorability 86, Hatred Value 92.】

Li Wen Nian doesn't understand emotions; even though he has 86 points of favorability toward her, he still can't figure out what he feels for her.

Jiang Zhi must make him realize it.

Otherwise, his favorability will never break past 90.

Two days later.

Allen left that day and never came back to look for her; Jiang Zhi once again lived a salted-fish existence, and after resting her blind eyes for these days, she could now make out blurry shadows.

Like a severely nearsighted person without glasses, she could only see blurry shadows.

Since last night, no more snow had fallen; outside, the wilderness was silent, the snow slowly melting. She sat by the window, extended a finger to lightly touch the transparent glass, and felt a hint of chill.

Before she could pull her finger back, a silhouette suddenly appeared outside the window in the indoor light.

She nearly cried out in fright, squinting hard to see the face; through the blur, she faintly caught a glimpse of gold.

At that moment, the window was pulled open from outside; the youth somehow hovered in midair, his arms resting on the windowsill, his smiling face drawing ever closer.

"Zhizhi~" he murmured, his voice low and pleasant.

Jiang Zhi stared, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.

"You..."

Just as she was about to speak, Li Wen Nian reached out and covered her lips.

"I'll take you away."

His gentle tone made people let down their guard and trust him wholeheartedly.

Jiang Zhi recalled what he had said during the video chat a couple of days earlier, and she hesitated before taking his hand.

Li Wen Nian sensed her emotional shift, smirked, and whispered in her ear, 'That was me lying to him.'

"I like Zhizhi so much—how could I not come to save you?"

Jiang Zhi felt heat at the corners of her eyes and instinctively reached out to grasp his hand.

Leaving the warm house, clad in thin clothing, she quickly began to shiver; outside, the snow had stopped, but the temperature remained cold, stinging the exposed skin.

Li Wen Nian draped his coat over her, his arm encircling her slender waist, and slowly descended using a grappling line.

It was obvious that the guards around had been dealt with by his men; otherwise he wouldn't dare so openly climb in through the window to rescue her.

Jiang Zhi followed behind him, stepping on the frozen snow; her footing was slippery, and she nearly fell several times, each time caught by the youth just in time to avoid a tumble.

Before they reached the parking spot, well-trained black-clad figures emerged from all directions; Allen stepped out at a leisurely pace, regarded them with calm amusement, and said coolly, 'As expected, you still came to save her.'

Li Wen Nian pulled Jiang Zhi behind him, tugged at the clothing covering her head, and concealed her entire face.

He then turned, smiling, and said, 'Big Brother deliberately diverted several squads of guards around— isn't that just to lure me into a trap?'

Allen didn't hide it either, saying, 'If you hadn't come to save her, even this fishing rod of mine wouldn't catch a fish.'

Li Wen Nian showed no fear of the surrounding guns aimed at him; dressed in a slightly thin black shirt, he stood on the pale snow, finger on cheek, foxlike eyes slightly narrowed, revealing an inscrutable smile.

"3."

"2."

As he was about to say 'one,' Allen's pocket phone rang; he gave him a deep look, then took out the phone and answered.

One minute later, after hanging up, Allen's face turned cold.

"You actually intercepted the arms shipment vessels for her sake, Li Nineteen— you're absolutely crazy!"

Now the old godfather is gravely ill, the Ulysses family is in turmoil, with countless eyes watching covetously from outside— internal strife and external threats— Li Nineteen's interception of three transport ships amounts to dooming the entire family.

No wonder he could come alone, openly, to rescue someone.

Li Wen Nian kicked at the hard snow beneath his feet, chuckling, 'Big Brother, there's no need to rush; let us go— those three shipments are yours, and I won't steal your credit.'

Allen's face darkened; he signaled the nearby personal guards to lower their weapons, rubbed his eye sockets with his fingertips, suppressed the anger in his chest, and said, 'Let them go.'

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silent night.

It was Allen's most loyal personal guard, unwilling to pass up such an opportunity.

The bullet sped through the cold air, aiming for the youth's heart.

Li Wen Nian's attention was fixed on the person before him; upon hearing the gunshot, he instinctively moved to shield her.

But Jiang Zhi in his arms reacted even faster, shoving his body aside; a sharp pain flared in her chest, and through her hazy vision she could see a blinding flash of gold, the youth's blurred outline, and his signature smile.

Li Wen Nian's pupils contracted sharply, the scene seeming like slow motion as she fell bit by bit, her face paler than snow losing all vitality, like a withered rose.

"Li… Li Wen Nian…… I think… I can see you……"

This was the last thing she said before passing out.

Li Wen Nian stepped forward and embraced her fallen body, staring blankly at the blood continuously gushing from her chest; the blood stained her beige sleepwear red, dripping from her fingertips onto the pristine snow.

Unlike the countless bloody scenes he had seen before, there was not a single one without blood, and that blood only ever excited him.

But this time, it frightened him.

He picked her up and left quickly.

Allen, standing where he was and witnessing this, showed deep panic on his face.

He suddenly turned his head to look at the subordinate who fired the gun, his icy gaze seeming to solidify.

His usual reason and composure shattered at this moment; he suddenly reached out and grabbed the subordinate's collar, almost shouting: "Why did you shoot!? I told you to let them go!? Why did you shoot!?"

The subordinate also realized the gravity of the situation, shaking his head helplessly, his voice trembling: "Second Young Master, I… I just didn't want to miss this chance… after all this… after all this, I finally had a chance to kill Li Nineteen……"

"Bang"

Allen let out a cold laugh, drew his gun, and executed him on the spot.

Those around dared not speak a word, kneeling on the ground awaiting orders.

The emergency surgery continued until three a. m.

Li Wen Nian had summoned the world's best surgeon, waiting outside the operating room, incessantly picking at his fingers until the skin broke and blood seeped out, which he didn't mind, pacing back and forth, his expression fluctuating, occasionally lifting his crimson fox‑like eyes toward the operating‑room door.

Chen Nan watched anxiously.

The last time the youth was in this state was when he fought nearly a hundred underground boxing matches in the fighting pits, his emotions out of control, his eyes filled only with slaughter, and it took several injections of sedative to calm him down.

When the operating‑room lights dimmed, the doctor pushed the gurney out; the person lying on it had lost all color in her lips, her complexion ashen, her chest barely rising and falling—if not for the vital‑signs monitor showing a heartbeat, they would have thought she was dead.

The lead surgeon approached Li Wen Nian and said, "She is still not out of danger; fortunately, the bullet stopped just one centimeter from her heart, without injuring it."

Li Wen Nian drew a deep breath, suppressing his violent turmoil, his voice hoarse and dry: "How long until she wakes?"

The doctor pondered, then replied, "It's unclear; she's had a congenital weakness since birth, her constitution is weaker than ordinary people's, and for now she can only stay in the ICU under close observation."

Having said that, the doctor left.

Leaning against the wall, Li Wen Nian grabbed a handful of blond hair with force, his pupils dark and devoid of any light, and said, "Go make Allen hand over the person."

Chen Nan responded.

Li Wen Nian gave a faint smile: "If you can't hand over a living person, tell him I'll return this bullet to him."

Chen Nan wrote it down tremblingly.

Ten days later.

In the intensive care unit.

Li Wen Nian, wearing a thick protective sterile suit, sat beside the bed, his face devoid of any smile as he forced a grin and spoke muffled through the mask:

"Zhizhi, if you wake up, I'll never do anything that makes you angry again—I promise!"

"Zhizhi, will you wake up? I'm a little scared……"

"As long as you wake up, I'll take you home and never pester you again…… Sorry, it's all my fault."

His head drooped, the blond hair tucked inside the protective suit limp and lifeless, his usually flamboyant, excited fox‑eyes filled with sorrow.

He seemed to understand what liking someone meant.

His spirits low, he pleaded pitifully: "I like you, Zhizhi—this time I'm not lying, it's true."

"Before… were you lying to me?" Jiang Zhi opened her heavy eyes and asked weakly.

Li Wen Nian hadn't reacted yet, obediently nodding: "Hmm."

As the words fell, he suddenly lifted his head, meeting her calm gaze, and his heart jolted.

Li Wen Nian jumped up excitedly, overjoyed, shouting: "Zhizhi Zhizhi!! You're awake!!"

Jiang Zhi twitched the corner of her mouth, helplessly watching him hop about, only then realizing that her eyes could finally see properly.

Numerous expert doctors examined her, exchanged smiles, and nodded: "Her recovery is rapid; she can leave the ICU tomorrow."

Li Wen Nian's long black lashes bore a pitiful tear as he leaned close, examining her thoroughly and asking, "Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?"

Jiang Zhi was about to speak when she heard the system's voice.

【Villain Li Wen Nian Favorability 100 points, Hatred Value 0 points.】

She: "???"

How could the Hatred Value, which had been so hard to raise, vanish completely overnight?